Talk to the Sky
by buccaneergirl12
Summary: PREVIOUSLY UNDECISION Jake confesses his love to Sam, who is undecided on her feelings for him. When she finally makes up her mind, how will the weary Jake respond? COMPLETE
1. Intro

Intro

**Intro**

"And when you figure out love is all that matters after all, it sure makes everything else seem so small."

**S**amantha Forster stared up at the winking stars overhead. She lay on the cold desert ground, trying her best to avoid Jake Ely's eyes.

"Sam?" he whispered, his voice trembling for the first time. No! The world fell to pieces when Jake broke down.

Why'd he have to ask her that question? They'd had a perfectly fine evening, riding the range. But then he had to go and ask her how she really felt about him.

Whatever happened to the cowboy Jake that only opened his mouth when absolutely necessary? The Jake that you had to practically fight to pull words out of? Because Sam sure liked that Jake a whole lot better than this new, inquiring one.

Suddenly, dust was stirring beside her. Jake got to his feet and strode toward his horse. After sliding the bit into Witch's mouth, he uttered one sentence. Then he mounted his pitch black mare and rode into the night.

Jake's words echoed in Sam's head as she lay on the ground, unable to move. They were so final, so filled with pain that they'd frozen her heart.

_That's the way it is, then._


	2. That's the Way it is, Then

That's the Way It is, Then

**That's the Way It is, Then**

"I loved you with a fire red, now it's turnin' blue… but I'm afraid it's too late to apologize."

Sam continued to mope on the ground for about 30 seconds after Jake left. With a sudden realization, she jumped to her feet and raced to the barn, tacking up her pony faster than ever before.

She had to go after him. If things weren't ruined already, they would be if she left them this way.

As Ace loped towards Three Ponies Ranch, Sam felt a few fat raindrops spatter her face. _Oh great,_ she thought as it began to rain harder._ Could this night get any worse?_ She longed for her Stetson, which she had left behind in her rush.

With cold rain in her eyes, Sam couldn't see why Ace slowed to a trot. Despite her instructions to keep running, Ace stubbornly headed towards the side of the road.

Sam almost gasped aloud. Jake, strong, stable Jake, sat on the ground by the road, his hands resting on bent knees. Witch was ground tied next to him. As Sam dismounted and Ace went over to Witch, Jake didn't even look up. Silently, she sat down beside him, praying that it was rain, not tears, that made her friend's face glisten.

"Jake," she began, scooting closer to his warm body. He recoiled as if he'd been burned.

"Go, Samantha. I understand." He turned his head, trying to hide his face.

Sam was too busy choking back her own tears to notice. "I don't know, Jake. I don't know."

Once again standing, Jake pulled his black Stetson over his eyes. "I do." But this time, Sam beat him to his horse.

As Sam stood feverishly tugging at tangles her clumsy fingers found in Witch's midnight mane, Jake stared at her from the saddle. She tried not to notice, but preyed on his reluctance to leave.

"Do you remember when I stole Witch and gave her a makeover? You were hardly even mad." Sam paused to gaze up at Jake through her tears. Shakily, she asked, "Why?"

After a few seconds of silence, Jake shook his head. "Sam," he said, taking up his reins. "I've known you your whole life. I was there for you when your mother died. I was there when _you_ almost died. And _I_ could have died seeing you like that. I've always loved you, Sam, and I thought you felt the same way. But I reckon I was wrong."

Shocked, Sam dropped the horsehair. The longest speech Jake had ever uttered. Jake's longest speech, and it was because he was giving up on her. "No."

Jake cocked his head.

"I mean-well- I don't know!" Sam gave a moan of frustration. "Jake, I'm so confused. You've always been like a brother to me, but now, all of a sudden, it's different. It's like-"

"Stop." Jake's mustang eyes turned cold. "That's the answer. If you loved me, you would know."

As Jake loped away for the second time that night, Sam whispered into the wind.

"That's the way it is, then."


	3. You Would Know

You Would Know

**I just wanna say thnx 2 all my reviewers! It's y'all that keep me goin'! Luv ya!**

"You can love someone with all your heart… and in a moment they can choose to walk away. Love them anyway."

Softly patting Ace's shoulder, Sam rubbed at the tears streaming from her eyes. Though she knew it was too late, she felt like she still should make a decision.

Jake said that if she loved him, she would know. But maybe he only said that because he was upset. Either way…

Sam's thoughts drifted to a night similar to this one just a few weeks ago. That night was the reason Jen wasn't speaking to her right now. Sam remembered Ryan's eyes as he told her he loved her, remembered how shocked she was, remembered how he had taken advantage of her shock to kiss her. And she still hadn't figured out if she liked it or not.

On one hand, Ryan Slocum was a popular object of feminine attention in the area. While Sam loathed his father, Linc, who thought he could buy his way into being a buckaroo, she was unsure of her feelings towards Ryan himself. She was unsure of everything lately.

On the other hand, Jake had always been there. Sure, they fought a lot, and sure, sometimes she couldn't stand him, but they belonged together in some way, if not romantically. Jake and Sam, Sam and Jake. He was so protective of her, Sam was surprised she hadn't figured out earlier that he liked her that way. The way his dark Shoshone eyes watched over her was hard to miss.

Ace nudged her back, startling her out of her reverie. Her heart pounding with surprise, Sam collapsed back onto the ground. For a minute, she just listened to the violent beating. Listened to her heart.

And then she was in her mother's arms. "What should I do, Mommy?" she asked. A young Sam was worried about one of Gram's chickens who had been behaving strangely. "Should I do something?" Louise had stroked her daughter's auburn hair, soothing her worry. "Whatever you think, my dear. You have a good heart. Listen to it, and you will do right."

She knew. She knew that she loved Jake. She knew that whenever he was around, her heart beat erratically. And she knew that she tried to hide it, tried to push that feeling away. Sam wouldn't admit it to herself, but her subconscious knew good and well that she loved him. And now she'd lost him.

_Listen to your heart._

She had to do something.

_Listen to your heart._

She couldn't live without him, not now.

_Listen to your heart._

"I'm listening, dammit!" She yelled, startling Ace. Frightened, his brown eyes peered at her from beneath his wily forelock.

She had to win him back.

While the sun yawned and sleepily painted pink streaks across the morning sky, Sam pulled on her boots. Blaze, River Bend's Border collie, leapt at her heels as she carried the feed bucket to Ace's stall.

"Mornin' Sam," Dallas, the foreman, called from the tack room.

"Hey Dallas," she answered absentmindedly. Her thoughts remained with Jake as she completed her chores. Eventually, she shut the door to Ace's stall and walked out of the barn.

Now she only had about an hour to wait until Jake showed up for work. On Gram's behalf, she weeded the garden, but not without accidentally pulling up a few radishes in the process.

Finally, she saw Jake coming over the bridge to River Bend. Dad met him as he got out of the car, obviously listing things that needed to be done around the ranch. Sam tried to appear nonchalant as she walked toward them.

"Mornin', Sam," Wyatt called over his shoulder as he strode towards Popcorn, who was already saddled up. "Goin' out to check fences."

"Kay," she yelled back, wiping sweat from her brow. Slowly, she turned to face Jake.

He stared back at her with eyes completely uninterested. "What." It was obvious he didn't really care.

"Jake," Sam said, taking a step towards him. "I love you."

He gave a humorless laugh. "Do you now?" Jake's eyes looked towards the mountains, the barn, the ground, everywhere but at her.

"Yeah. And I'm sorry I was such a jerk. I was just so overwhelmed." Sam waited impatiently for him to answer.

"Shoot, Samantha, what am I going to do with you?!" he yelled. "When I tell you I care for you, you act like it doesn't matter. And when I finally get over you, you come running after me!"

Cowering away, Sam scuffed her boot in the dust. Jake wasn't acting like himself. If he wasn't careful, he was going to use up his quota of words.

"I'm sorry," she answered, her voice barely above a whisper.

Jake shook his head. "It's to late for all that."

**I can't decide if I like this chapter or not. What do y'all think? Review!!**


	4. A Plan

Thank you, thank you, for you dedication

**Thank you, thank you, for you dedication! I am finally updating!**

**Tactics**

"Is something wrong, Sam?" Gram asked. Sam sat picking at her food and thinking about what Jake had said. Slowly, she looked up.

"No."

Gram continued to look at her, obviously concerned, but didn't say anything. When Sam "finished" her food, she ran up the stairs to her room. Sighing, she jumped across her bed and lay on her stomach. There was only one thing to do. She had to make Jake forget what she'd done. But Sam needed a plan to do that.

Sam shivered when she found herself thinking of Rachel Slocum. She couldn't deny that the girl had a way with boys. What was it she did to make them like her so much? There had to be something more than looks. After thinking for hours, she came up with a list of tactics.

_Flirt mercilessly_

_Quietly admire_

_Ignore completely_

Sam crossed her fingers and taped the list to her dresser.

!!

The next day was perfect for carrying out step one of Operation Win Jake Back. Wyatt, ignorant of the current situation, assigned Sam and Jake to the task of getting the truckload of hay up into the loft. However, Jake was still on a no-talking basis with her, so she sighed and climbed up into the loft. As he sent the bales up to Sam in a net on a pulley, Jake remained absolutely silent. How was Sam supposed to carry out her plan when talking to him was like talking to the barn wall? Maybe today wasn't so perfect after all.

Then it hit Sam. There was one way she knew of to get words out of Jake. But how could she make it look realistic? She didn't have much longer to pull it off. As she stacked the heavy bales, Sam's mind reeled, planning out her actions.

!!

Jake tried not to look at Sam as he loaded the hay into the net. He could think of nothing but the lie he'd told her yesterday. But maybe it had worked. She hadn't confronted him.

The thing was, he _wasn't_ over her. He didn't think he'd ever be over her. Never mind that it hurt like hell to love Sam. That was the way it was, and the way it always would be. **(Okay, does that make any sense? You know what I mean.)**

Because of his campaign not to look at her, Jake didn't see Sam wavering dizzily high up in the loft. He was totally unsuspecting when she hit the ground in front of him.

**I promise not all the chapters are going to be this short!! I don't know what my problem is :'(. Anyway, REVIEW!!**


	5. All Over Again

Okay guys I am gong to TRY and make this chapter longer

**Okay guys I am gong to TRY and make this chapter longer. Don't know if I'll succeed… well, here goes!**

Sam writhed on the baked Nevada ground, breathing through her teeth. Jake rushed to her, his hands fluttering around uselessly.

"Sam," he whispered. She groaned in response. "I'm going to get help."

Running to get Wyatt, Jake felt a sick smack of déjà vu. Sam was once again hurt, and, once again, it was his fault. If he had only seen her falling, he could have caught her. _No, no, no!_ Pictures reeled through his mind, Sam unconscious, Sam in the hospital, Sam leaving Nevada. For two long years, Jake had paid for his carelessness, suffering through life without her. And it was all about to happen again.

Wyatt knelt down beside his daughter, checking for broken bones. "Daddy," she moaned. _At least she's conscious, _he thought. At that moment, Brynna drove up. Panicking, she ran up to the little group.

"Sam?! Wyatt! What-?"

"She fell from the loft, B," Wyatt sighed. "It's all right, just a few bad bruises, I think." With Brynna, Jake, Dallas, and Pepper following behind, he lifted Sam and gently carried her into the house. After setting her on the couch and informing Gram of the events, he, Dallas, Pepper, and Ross went back to work. Brynna went to change out of her work clothes, but Jake stayed by Sam's side. Always a cowboy, he stated simply, "You've never fallen from up there."

Weakly, Sam replied, "I guess it was the heat."

Shaking his head, Jake said, "No, it wasn't."

"So what?"

Jake barely restrained himself from slamming his fist down on the coffee table. "I can't wait for you forever, Sam. You've got to decide."

"I have decided!" she squeaked. "You!"

"I what?"

Sam took a deep breath. "You are the one I want. You are the one I love, Jake. I just couldn't see that before."

As he walked away, Jake called over his shoulder. "Maybe you should get some glasses."

!!

Sam hardly even noticed the pain from her fall as she lay on the couch. _Why?_ Her mind reeled, looking for an answer. _WHY is he acting like this? _His feelings couldn't have changed that quickly. _WHY is he refusing to believe that I love him?_ She knew he was stubborn, but this had to be more than just strong will. There just_ had_ to be a reason for all this. A plan tried, a plan failed, but she'd try again. Sam would be back to get her man.

**Yeah, I know, it wasn't long. Maybe next time… oooo goody! The next chapter is going to have a song in it! Yay1 :P lol Review! Review!**

**P.S. I hope y'all were able to find the story after the repost!**


	6. Come in With the Rain

Disclaimer: I, of course, don't own Phantom Stallion, or "Come in With the Rain" (by Taylor Swift)

**Disclaimer: I, of course, don't own Phantom Stallion, or "Come in With the Rain" (by Taylor Swift)**

Two days passed with nothing from Jake. Sam's recovery was taking longer than it should have; everybody at River Bend was concerned. Confined to her bed by a determined Gram, Sam lost the fight that had filled her only a few days ago. Now she just lay there, praying for a miracle. Even Cody couldn't cheer her up. Brynna worried over the loss of the fire that burned in her stepdaughter's eyes.

Sam stared out at the rain. Lately, the weather had matched her mood. She tried to convince herself that she was numb to the name, but her stupid, conniving mind kept stabbing her. _Jake. _Finally, Sam cringed and opened the gate. A raging river burst through.

-

Jake stared blankly at Witch. _Black._ That was all his mind registered. _Black._He looked at the sky; _black._ He thought of Sam; _black._ Empty. No, not empty; suppressed. But the gate he had built in his mind was clumsy and rushed. When it finally broke, a raging river burst through.

-

Pain. Jake wasn't coming back. She'd blown it all. Stupid, stupid kiss. Stupid Ryan. Stupid Sam. Stupid Jake. Stupid everything.

All of a sudden, Sam jumped out of bad, almost falling back down from the pain. Despite the soreness all over her body, she stumbled to her window and flung it open. _Come back!_ She wanted to scream out of it. _Jake! Come back!_

_Talk to the wind_

_Talk to the sky_

_Talk to the one with the reasons why_

_Let me know what you find_

_I'll leave my window open_

'_Cause I'm too tired at night to call your name_

_Just know I'm right here, hopin'_

_That you'll come in with the rain_

-

"Sam," Jake called hoarsely from where he'd collapsed in the mud. What had he done? Hysterical, he cried, his tears swept away in the rivulets of rain running over his face. All the walls fell down. The one he'd built immediately after he was rejected. The one that forced him to protect Sam at all times since her accident. The one that was made out of pure, 24 karat stubbornness. "Sam!" he screamed into the clouds.

-

"Please, Jake," Sam said into her pillow. Rain, tears, pillow, hair, all became one in those moments of complete letting go.

_Talk to yourself _

_Talk to the tears_

_Talk to the one who put you here_

_Don't wait for the sky to clear_

_I'll leave my window open_

'_Cause I'm too tired at night to call your name_

_Just know I'm right here hopin'_

_That you'll come in with the rain_

-

No racehorse could run as fast as Witch was. Jake galloped towards River Bend, towards the one that was everything to him. His dark hair had come out of its leather tie and dripped water in his face. He thudded across the wooden bridge.

-

Sam was on her feet at the first hoofbeat. She flew down the stairs, not caring who she woke up. Busting through the door, Sam ran straight into Jake's arms. His kiss made all the pain dissolve.

_Come in with the rain_

**So, what do you guys think? Yeah, a little OOC on Jake's part, but hey, love makes you do crazy things right? Lol now REVIEW!!**


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